Electric brooder



April 14, 1931. D, H H L 1,800,216

ELECTRIC BROODER Filed May 28, 1930 i U /Z w U flgggu-ggifi PatentedApr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEWEY H. HILL, OF MACOMB,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GLOBE AMERICAN CORPORATION,

OF KOKOMO, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA ELECTRIC BROODERApplication filed. May 28,

My invention relates to electrically heated brooders, and in some of itsmajor objects aims to provide a brooder housing, electric heater airdeflector assemblage which will considerably reduce the amount ofelectrical energy required for a given capacity of the brooder, andwhich will afford a highly efficient circulation of air within thebrooder.

In another major object, my invention aims to provide an electricbrooder in which the heating and air deflecting unit can be assembledand packed separately from the housing, either with or without includingan automatic control switch as a part of such a unit, and in which thisunit can readily be installed as a unitary assemblage under a brooderhousing.

Furthermore, my invention aims to provide an inexpensive and easilymanufactured electric heater and deflector assemblage which will alfordan efficient reflection of direct rays of heat from. the heatingelement, which will utilize convection currents for cooperating with thesaid reflection of heat for effectively distributing the heat, and whichwill effectively cooperate with a common type of brooder housing foraffording the needed circulation of air within the brooder.

More particularly, my invention aims to provide a unitary assemblageincluding an electric heating element, heat reflectors, and airconfining means disposed for cooperating in heating a stream of air andin directing the flow of this stream so as to produce a highly efficientcirculation of the heated air within the brooder.

Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from thefollowing specification and from the accompanying drawings, in whichFig. 1 is a central and vertical section through an electrical brooderembodying my invention. I

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 1, with a part of theheater base broken away.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, taken fromthe line 33 of Fig. 2. i

1930. Serial No. 456,609.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lions ing of the brooder includes ahorizontal top 1 of heat-insulating board, faced on its lower side witha metal disk 2 and on its "upper side with a metal top facing 3. Theperiphery of the top facing is extended downwardly and radially outwardof the brooder, and is fastened to the upper end of an upwardly taperinghollow frustroconical housing portion consisting of a frustrated cone ofheat-insulating material, lined on its inner face with a metal facing 5.This tapering portion of the housing is supported by the usual legs 6and has the customary slitted curtain 7 depending from it.

Two air ports 8 in the brooder top afford vents for the hot air from theupper portion of the brooder, the rate of such air escape beingcontrolled by an inverted cupshaped damper 9 which is pivoted on anupright bolt 10 extending through the brooder top. his damper has twosimilarly disposed ports 11 (Fig. 8) in its top and can be rotated bymanually grasping wings 12 on the damper, so as to bring the damperports 11 into or out of alinement with the air ports 8 in the top of thebrooder housing, thereby controlling the rate at which heated air canpass out through the top of the brooder and continuously restrictingthis exit of air.

Centrally disposed under this brooder housing is a heating and aircirculating unit including a hollow base member 12 which may have aradial flange 13 at its lower end to increase the diameter of the baseand to permit the base member to be fastened (as by bolts 14) to ahorizontal base strip 15 on which the controlling switch 16 is alsomounted.

Fastened to and extending upward from the base member 12 is an electricheating member, here shown as including an upright and spirally groovedinsulating stem 17 and a coil 18 of high resistance wire seated in thegroove of this stem. This heating element 18 is connected to the controlswitch 16 by wires 19 which extend through a conduit 20 rigidlyconnecting the base member 12 with the switch, and the switch itselr" iscontrolled by a thermostatic wafer member 21 which can be regulated bythe usual adjusting screw 22.

Extending upwards from the base member 7 12 are riser strips 23 whichjointly support uowar entr of air into the heat reflector.

r The up vardly flaring heat reflector '2 laterally houses the he.element 18 and desirably extends to about the same height as thisheating element, and a cylindrical tubular air-confining member in theform of a skirt 25 forms an upward continuation of the heat reflector,this shirt bei here shown U as integral with the heat reflector.Fastoned to the heat reflector (and hence supwe 1 T I L a 1-. 1Q" t lpoi tee. b y the base member) riser strips 26 which jointly support aconical air de flector 27 coaxialwit'h the heating element and the saidheat reflector. This air deflector preferablyis of larger diameter thanthe heat reflector 24 and the air confining skirt 25 and tapersdownwardly so as to present its closed tip at approximately the same 7height the upper edge of the said skirt, Wllll'f the upper'end of theair reflector is spaced downwardly from the top of; the

housing to permit some of the heated air to reach the vent ports 8. V

With the parts thus arranged, heat rays '28 radiated bythe heatingelement 18 to- -ward the heat reflector 2a will be reflected upwardlyagainst the air deflector 27, and will then be rerected downwardly awayfrom the axis oft-he two reflectors by the air deflector (as for examplealong the lines 29 in Fig. 1), or towards the bottom of the brooder nearthe'curtainin'g of the latter.

At the same time, the heating of air within the reflector 2a and theskirt 25 will cause this air to move upwardly, thereby draw- 1ng'a1ralong the bottom oi the brooder (as along the lines 30) toward the loweror 111-.

let end of the heat reflector. 7

Owing to the downward tapering of the air deflector .27, this spreadsthe rising warmed air-and deflects it in a generally horizontaldirection, thereby causing it" to travel radially oi the brooderalongthe top facing 2 and downwardly along the sloping port on of thebrooder housing and the curtain 7. p

Theair after entering the bottom opening of the heat deflector throughthe spaces between the riser strips 23 is free to expand withinthisupwardly flaring heat deflector asv the air is warmed, but this warmedair is laterally confined by the tubular skirt which aids in directingthe heat toward the air deflector 25. Owing to the inclusion of thisskirt, and also to the drawing of some fresh air. (radially inward ofthe brooder under the curtaining 7), a considerable portion of the airwithin the brooder is continually recirculated along paths such as thoseindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Mor over, thereflection of heat rays along the dotted lines 31 and 32(by the heat reflector 2a and thereafter by the airdeflector 27)prewarms the air which enters under the curtaining, so that this willnot have an undesirable chilling effect on the chicks withinthe-brooder. 1

Since the air (which is moved upwardly within the heat deflector 2e andthe air-confining skirt 25 (by convection) will tend to spread outradially as soon as it passes the upper end of thisskirt, I desirablymake the air deflector 27 of larger diameter than the saiu skirt. 1 al odesirably make this air deflector of a larger angle of conicity than theheat deflector 24, although the taper of these members and theirrelativespaci may be varied between ti e height and the diameterof thebrooder housing.

In practice,some of the heat from the heating element 18 will also bereflected across the axis ny heating ant air-directing unit to the airdeflector, and then redirected by the latter toward the tapering broodertop portion, the dotted lines 33 in Fig. 2. By providing a metal facing5 for this brooder top portion, 1 cause suchreflected heat rays to bereflected again in the general path indicated by the dotted lines 30 inFig. 1, so that this top lining also cooperates in securing highefliciency for my brooder.

I am aware that it has heretofore been customary to use a tubular airflue in association with the heating element of electric brooders, sothat convection currents will cause the air to rise past a heatingelement suspended from the top of the brooder. However, the air, whenthus heated in the upper oortion of the brooder, banks in this upperportion, since the air flue remains too cool to start an air current ofany considerable velocity.

By using two superposed reflectors and disposing the'heating member inthe lower reflector, l eflectively start the convectionportion of thebrooder. Owing to these pro-.

'isions and to the skirt extension on the lower reflector, I secure acontinuous air cir culation and a diffusion of the heat substantiallythroughout the brooder, instead of having hot air bank in the upperportion,

as for example along {I for diflerent proportions its While leavingrelatively cool air in the lower portion which houses the chicks.Consequently, I have been able to obtain the needed warming effects withabout half of the current consumption required for the same size andshape of brooder which is not equipped with the twin reflector andair-confining skirt arrangement here presented.

Moreover, since the heating member and the two reflector members (thelower of which includes the heat reflector 24 and the air confiningskirt 25 are rigidly connected, these can be packed and shippedseparately and inserted as a unit under the brooder housing. This alsopermits the user to lift the brooder housing bodily off my novelassemblage, for cleaning the floor under this housing, withoutdisconnecting any parts.

However, while I have illustrated and described my invention in anembodiment including many desirable details of construction andarrangement, I do not wish to be iimited in these respects, since manychanges might obviously be made without departing either from the spiritof my invention or from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a brooder, an upwardly flaring heat reflectoropen at its lowerend, a heating element disposed within and substantially coaxial withthe reflector, and a downwardly tapering conical deflector coaxial withthe said reflector and above both the reflector and the heating element.

2. In a brooder, an upwardly flaring heat reflector open at its lowerend, a heating element disposed within and substantially coaxial withthe reflector, and a downwardly tapering conical deflector coaxial withthe said reflector and above both the reflector and the heating element,the deflector being of larger diameter than the reflector.

3. In a brooder, an upwardly flaring frustro-conical heat reflector openat its lower end; a heating element disposed within and substantiallycoaxial with the reflector; a downwardly tapering conical air deflectorcoaxial with the said reflector and above both the heating element andthe reflector, the tip of the deflector being approximately at the sameheight as the upper edge of the reflector; and a substantiallycylindrical air confining skirt extending upward from the said upperedge of the reflector and terminating at a considerable distance belowthe air deflector.

A heating element, heat reflector and air deflector assembly as perclaim 3, in which the air deflector is of greater diameter than the saidskirt.

5. A heating element, heat reflector and air deflector assembly as perclaim 3, in which the air deflector has a greater angle of conicity thanthe heat reflector.

6. A heating element, heat reflector and deflector assembly as per claim1, in which the heat reflector comprises a lower and upwardly flaringconical portion and a substantially cylindrical tubular skirt extendingupward from the upper end of aforesaid reflector portion.

7. A heating and air-circulating assemblage for a brooder, comprising abase member, a heating element supported by and extending upwardly fromthe l see member, an upwardly annuiar flaring heat reflector coaxialwith and housing the heating element and having its lower end open,means carried by the member for supporting the heat reflector insubstantially freely spaced relation to the base member, a downwardlypointed conical heat deflector disposed above and coaxial with the saidreflector, and means for supporting the heat deflector from the saidreflector.

8. A heater assembly for a brooder, comprising two vertically spacedreflectors both tapering downward and having a common vertical axis, anda heating element centrally disposed within and in axial alinement withthe lower reflector, the lower end of the lower reflector being open,and the upper reflector being larger in diameter than the lowerreflector.

9. A heater assembly for a brooder, co1npr sing two vertical spacedreflectors both tapering down ard and having a common vertical axis; aheating element centrally disposed within the lower reflector, the lowerend of the lower reflector being open, and the upper reflector havingits lower end closed, the upper end of the heating element beingdownwardly spaced both from the lower *end of the upper reflector andfrom the upper edge of the lower reflector.

10. A heater assembly for a brooder, comprising two verticalspacedreflect ors both tapering downward and having a common verticalaxis, and a heating element centrally disposed within the lowerreflector, the lower end of the lower reflector being open, and theupper reflector having its lower end closed and being of larger diameterthan the lower reflector.

11. In a heater assembly for a brooder, a base member, a heating elementdisposed above and supported by the base member, spaced risers fastenedto and extending upwardly from the base member, an upwardly flaringreflector surrounding the heating ele ment and supported by the saidrisers and having its lower end formed for admitting air around theheating element, and a substantially cylindrical tubular skirt supportedby the reflector and extending upwardly from the outer edge of thereflector.

12. A heater assembly as per claim 11, including a second reflectorcoaxial with the said skirt, and means for supporting the secondreflector from the skirt, the second reflector being uniformly spacedupwardly from the upper edge of the skirt. Y

13. A heater assembly as per claim 11, including a second reflectorcoaxial with and 5 spaced upwardly from the said skirt, and meanssupporting both reflectors and the skirt from the base member.

14. In a heater assembly for a breeder, a base member, a heatingelement'disposed' 1' above and supported by the base member, an upwa'dly flaring reflector surrounding the heating element and supported bythe base member and having its lower end formedfor admitting air aroundthe heati'ng element, a downwardly ta ering second reflector coaxialwith and spaced upwardly from the aforesaid reflector, and means forsupporting the second reflector from the first named reflector. cg 15.In a heater assembly for a broader, a base member, a heating elementdisposed above and supported by the base member, an upwardly flaringreflector surrounding the heating element and supported by the 5 basemember and having its'lower end formed for admitting air around theheating element, aidownwardly tapering second reflector coaxial with andspaced upwardly from the aforesaid reflector, and riser strips extendingupwardly from the upper edge o'f'thefirst named reflector and spacedcircumferentially of that reflect-or for supporting the secondreflector. Signed at Macomb, Illinois, May 26th,

as 1930 V I DEWEY H. HILL.

